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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the procedure by which a regional water planning group |
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is required to make the regional water plan prepared by the group |
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available for public inspection. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 16.053(h), Water Code, is amended by |
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amending Subdivision (3) and adding Subdivision (13) to read as |
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follows: |
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(3) After the regional water plan is initially |
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prepared, the regional water planning group shall, after notice, |
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hold at least one public hearing at some central location readily |
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accessible to the public within the regional water planning |
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area. The group shall make [copies of] the plan available for |
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public inspection at least one month before the hearing by posting |
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the plan on the group's publicly accessible Internet website and |
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may make the plan available for review at other locations |
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[providing a copy of the plan in the county courthouse and at least |
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one public library of each county having land in the |
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region]. Notice for the hearing must [shall] include the address |
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of the Internet website on which the plan will be posted [a listing |
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of these] and any other location where the plan is available for |
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review. |
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(13) Each regional water planning group shall maintain |
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a publicly accessible Internet website. Each regional water |
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planning group shall consider and accommodate residents of the |
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regional water planning area who may need assistance accessing the |
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regional water plan prepared by the regional water planning group |
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because of a lack of access to Internet services. |
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SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to |
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a regional water plan required to be made available for public |
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inspection on or after the effective date of this Act. A regional |
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water plan required to be made available for public inspection |
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before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in |
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effect at the time the plan is required to be made available, and |
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the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |